Tuesday, 2 April 2013

I’m Sylvia Earle, an oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer in Residence, and I want to share with you some of what I’ve learned over the 50 years I’ve spent under and on the ocean - about it’s health - and therefore our health. We are at a critical crossroads. The next ten years are the most important of the next 10,000 years: the best chance that our species will have to protect what remains of the ocean, a vital part of the natural systems that gives us life.

We used to believe the ocean was so vast that we could never truly affect it. Yet, the pristine ocean that Columbus sailed on was very different from the one we are passing on to our children. Today -- in a world of overfishing, shark finning, bottom trawling, oil spills, rampant pollution, ocean acidification, severe population declines and species extinction -- we now understand the power of humanity to affect our ocean.

We have an immense power to harm only equalled by our power to heal.

Why is it that scuba divers and surfers are some of the strongest advocates of ocean conservation? Because they’ve spent time in and around the ocean, and they’ve personally seen the beauty, the fragility, and even the degradation of our planet’s blue heart.

In this Kickstarter campaign, our goal is to create a unique and beautiful book that bring millions of people underwater with the power of the press...to ignite emotional support for protecting our planet’s most precious resource.

If we can reach our goal together, our campaign will unlock the power of National Geographic to publish a book filled with beautiful images and inspiring quotes about the beauty -- and distress -- in our oceans. With only 5% of the ocean seen by human eyes, this 300 page, large-format book will bring millions of readers under the waves. If our Kickstarter campaign is successful, National Geographic has agreed to donate an additional $100,000. All funds will go to create, print, promote and distribute Blue Hope: Voices in Praise of the World’s Oceans. Proceeds from book sales go to Mission Blue and National Geographic.

We are crowdsourcing this project because we want Blue Hope to be a collaborative effort - with you. So many ocean lovers have captured absolute magic with their lenses. Are you inspired to write about your feelings about the ocean? And then have your work side-by-side with the best photographers and writers?

Subject to National Geographic standards, the best submissions will be included in the final copy of the book. And all submissions will be included on a special page on our Mission Blue website. We'll can't wait to see what you send to us at info@mission-blue.org !

This is an all-or-nothing campaign, so we’ll only receive your donations if we reach our goal. And you will only be charged if we reach our goal. Help us leverage the power of National Geographic to publish this book. This beautiful and engaging book will not only be a work of art in itself but will act as an instrument to raise critical awareness about the ocean. Please support by contributing what you can.

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The Official MPA Blog is part of the Protect Planet Ocean initiative with Google and leading names in global ocean conservation. It is your one-stop-shop for information on all aspects of Marine Protected Areas and much more.